Making Up
by fishiesinthesky
Summary: Emil knows that lounging around his own mind would be a lot better if it weren't so blank all the time... so, one day, Ratatosk teaches him how to change it. Another short, fluffy RataEmil oneshot for your enjoyment! Rated T for language.


Am I the only one who got a kick out of knowing that Ratatosk... was based on a mythological _squirrel?_

I lol'd so hard at that. xD

Anyway! Some semi-important information. This is my second story in three days (with an equally brilliant and creative title, lol) - I am so proud to be back in gear! :D Thank you for the lovely feedback for my last RataEmil drabble... you guys are the greatest. This story is composed of part fluff, part crack, and part argument I had with myself in a dream yesterday. I didn't end up kissing myself, though, thank goodness. And also, I do not own any part of Tales of Symphonia, DotNW or otherwise.

If you like the story, please leave a review! Concrit is encouraged. Even if you just want to suggest things I should write next, that would be sweet.

Peace out!

**xxx MAKING UP xxx**

Deep within the ever-shifting white confines of his mind, Emil stretched out on his back and sighed. What was Ratatosk doing in control, anyway? How much time had passed? Why, for the love of Martel, was his mind never anything other than white?

"I am soooo bored right now…"

"Tell me about it," came Ratatosk's voice, startling Emil out of his thoughts once again.

"H-hey! Don't sneak up on me like that. At least announce it when you're coming in here…"

Ratatosk only chuckled. "You're too fun to mess with."

Pouting childishly, Emil continued to gaze up at the never-ending blankness that was his mind. It was fine for waiting while fights were running their course – comfortingly familiar, even. Still, it did get a little bit boring from time to time.

"Seriously, though. If this is what my mind looks like all the time, I'm sure not very creative."

"Tch. You're just not doing it right," Ratatosk said, rising from where he had been sitting next to the boy. "This is like a dream realm. And if you know you're dreaming, you can do anything you want… like this!"

The summon spirit snapped his fingers, and instantaneously Emil could feel a weight on his chest. He bolted upright, wide-eyed and alert, and he found himself nose-to-nose with the cutest, fluffiest Peallaidh he had ever seen.

Naturally, he freaked out.

"Y-yikes! How did you _do_ that?" He yelped, shuffling away from the monster, causing it to tumble down off of him. The little squirrel-like monster only faltered for a few seconds before it got back up on its feet, scratching its head and regarding the boy with a kind of amused curiosity.

Ratatosk smirked, close to laughter, as he approached the Peallaidh and took it up into his arms. "That? That was nothing. You should see some of the stuff I conjure up while you're not here…" _Though, based on this one, I think some of it might freak you out. A lot._

Emil got up, dusted himself off more out of habit than necessity, and walked the few steps over to Ratatosk and the Peallaidh. Gingerly, he stroked the monster's fur, then scratched behind its ears as he got braver.

"He's pretty cute," Emil said and smiled.

Ratatosk tried very hard not to be jealous of that. "Hmph… go conjure up your own monsters."

"Will you teach me how?"

"Why should I?" _I could use this kind of power to my advantage, _he thought, grinning deviously.

Ratatosk looked at him for only a second, but in that second, he came undone. Emil was pouting, hair sticking out in all directions from lying down so long, gazing at him in a perfect expression of innocence and expectation and murmuring, "Please?"

Ratatosk heaved a heavy sigh. "…Oh, fine."

Emil's beaming smile and thank-you were reward enough for him.

"Okay, so, first. What do you want to conjure?"

Emil thought for a moment. "A cherry tree," he decided. It sounded simple enough.

"Alright. Now, hold the image in your mind of the cherry tree, as if you're seeing it with your own eyes."

Deep green canopy, reaching branches - Emil could see it. Well, not really, but it felt so close to seeing it that knowing he _wasn't_ seeing it would have felt odd.

"Close your eyes, then tell yourself the tree is there - and when you open them, it will be," Ratatosk instructed.

He did, and as soon as he opened his eyes, there it was. Right in front of him, in all of its lush, green, cherry-bearing glory, was the tree. His smile widened considerably.

"…Wow."

"Impressive," Ratatosk conceded.

"I've never done something like that before."

"You can't do that in real life, Captain Obvious."

"I know."

"…"

"Hey, I'm not going to die if I eat the cherries or anything, right?"

Ratatosk rolled his eyes and picked a cherry for himself, popping it in his mouth. "_Yes_, you can eat them. The food doesn't always taste the same as real food does, though."

Emil popped one in his mouth, too, and immediately his eyes widened. "Whoa!"

"Yeah, I know. Don't you remember what real cherries taste like? This is like… cherry gel or something."

Emil just laughed, saying, "This is the weirdest conversation I've ever had in my life."

"I have a feeling it's only about to get more absurd," mumbled Ratatosk.

As he said that, the ever-curious Peallaidh fell out of the tree in a flurry of leaves and twigs and knocked him over with a dull thud. Emil's laughter stopped for a second - then started again, twice as loud.

"Damn it!" Ratatosk was clearly _not_ amused. Not a heartbeat later, Emil fell forward and face-planted under the weight of a stray Chimera.

"Oomph!"

"Hah. Not laughing now, are we?"

Emil glared and raised a fist at him. "Hey! Not funny, Ratatosk!"

"I should say the same to you!"

He pulled himself out from under the very confused Chimera, sighing defeatedly. "Okay, okay. Truce?"

Ratatosk stole a quick glance at him. "Whatever."

"…"

"…"

"…I'm sorry."

Silence.

"I shouldn't have laughed. I really am sorry."

Again, the summon spirit gave no response. _That's not a good sign,_ Emil thought, kneeling down next to him.

"…Ratatosk?"

Ratatosk looked up quickly at him, then down again, mumbling something unintelligible.

"Hm?"

"I got knocked down… by a fucking _squirrel._"

The corner of Emil's mouth quirked upwards. "It was a heavy squirrel."

"Shut up."

Emil hesitated. Then, gently, he started picking the leaves out of Ratatosk's hair. The older boy closed his eyes, seeming to relax at the touch.

"Forgive me?" Emil asked.

"Mmm… possibly."

Ratatosk looked up at him, eyes betraying a feeling that Emil didn't quite recognize. His mouth suddenly felt dry.

"H-how?"

"Shhhh…"

Ratatosk leaned in close, until their lips were bare centimeters from touching. Emil turned beet-red, senses overloaded with their closeness, their mingling breath, and the intense look in those ruby eyes. He couldn't speak. He couldn't breathe.

"Like this."

With those words, Ratatosk closed the distance between them in a kiss.

Initially, Emil was frozen in shock, but his lips were warm and soft as they slowly started moving along with the other boy's mouth. Fingers tangled themselves in his hair. He shivered, wrapping his arms around the other boy's shoulders, becoming bolder – he pulled closer, allowing Ratatosk to capture his mouth again, and another time, and another.

They parted, breathing heavily. This time both faces were painted pink, and both were smiling, too.

"I think you humans have an expression… kiss and make up."

"Mmmm," was Emil's eloquent response.

"I like it. Maybe we should kiss more often."

Emil was definitely red as a tomato at this point. "To m-make up, you mean?"

"I never said _only_ to make up," Ratatosk whispered into his ear, smirking. _That blush will be the death of me, Emil, I swear._

Emil hid his face in Ratatosk's shirt, embarrassed and disoriented, but also giddy with happiness. He felt… loved, in a bizarre sort of way. It was nice.

"I'm taking that as a yes."

Maybe the white confines of his mind didn't have to feel so much like confinement after all… for more reasons than one.


End file.
